Welcome to our new website

Welcome to our new website. We hope you’ll stay for awhile and come back to visit frequently to learn about Cowichan Women Against Violence Society (CWAVS) and our activities.

Frequently, I get fundraising letters from non-profit organizations asking for financial support. Some like universities and hospital foundations or international and national societies are large, and a few, like CWAVS serve the local community. The need is great and each of us decides how to distribute the dollars we give to charity. If you are like me, you want to invest at least a portion of your donations locally. Here’s why I’d like you to consider CWAVS as worthy of your support.

Domestic Violence is an ongoing crisis. Recently, former President Jimmy Carter called “the abuse of women and girls... the most pervasive and unaddressed human rights violation on earth.” Stats Canada finds that in BC, over half of women 16 and older have experienced physical or sexual violence. Women in the Cowichan Valley are no different. And children who witness abuse are at great risk of carrying the strategies they observe into their future families.

Family violence is a community problem. Besides the toll it takes on the individuals involved, victims and perpetrators are costly to social, health and policing and court services. Violence has a huge economic impact as well by limiting the participation of both men and women in the job market. Research done by CWAVS has proven that violence contributes to a lack of safety, little power and limited participation in the community.

Despite highlighting the issues of violence against women for over 30 years, CWAVS continues to provide refuge to 150 women and children each year in our transition house and we serve over a 1,000 women and children a year in our other programs. We have a wait list for our Children Who Witness Abuse (CWWA) program and our Stopping the Violence (STV) counselling and for many of our groups. We are full at Somenos House 80 to 90 days a year.

CWAVS recognizes that the money to increase the responsiveness of our current programs and to address gaps in services will need to come from new sources. Currently, 88 percent of our revenue comes from government. Another seven percent comes through grants from foundations. We’re hoping you will consider joining our monthly or annual giving programs. With your help, CWAVS can be even better at responding to the needs of women and children in the Cowichan Valley.